View full sizeCars at the Syracuse Nationals Auto show at the New York State Fairgrounds.Dick Blume | dblume@syracuse.com

People can become strongly attached to their modes of transportation.

This was evident at the 14th annual Syracuse Nationals Car Show on Saturday, when a heavy rainstorm swept through the New York State Fairgrounds, leaving auto owners to feverishly wipe water from roughly 8,000 hot rods, muscle cars and antique cars and trucks on display.

Some owners were attached enough to give their vehicles nicknames, inspired by TV characters or the cars' brand names. Alan Mitchell of Liverpool, for example, calls his car "Vicky" because it's a 1931 Ford Model Victoria.

Others dig deeper for a meaningful name. Here are a few autos you can "meet" at the Syracuse Nationals, which continues through Sunday from 8 a.m. - 3 p.m.

View full sizeSteve Van Horn, from Cato, N.Y., polishes his 1931 Model A street rod at the Syracuse Nationals Auto show at the New York State Fairgrounds.Dick Blume | dblume@syracuse.com

When Van Horn first applied for a "Candy Ass" license plate, the DMV refused. His second attempt, "Candy Azz," was also deemed unacceptable.

"I didn't really want to call it just 'Candy,' because it's kind of a girl's name," said Van Horn, 57. "It's 'Steve's 31' now, to tell everybody it's mine. It's my baby. We built it at home, from the bottom up."

Steve's wife, Destiny, has a few names for her 1964 Ford Falcon, which she bought four years ago.

After paying for five separate paint coats to achieve the perfect shade of "Wimbledon White," she started called her car "The Money Pit." It also goes by "Baby Girl" and "Little Ladybug," because of its original red interior.

Endless Summer

After Eric and Melissa Saffran married in July 2000, they drove Saffran's 1960 Chevrolet Bel Air to the first ever Syracuse Nationals Car Show for their honeymoon.

Eric and Melissa return every year to celebrate their anniversary.

"It's the love of the cars and the love of the wife," said Saffran, 45.

Saffran bought his car about 20 years ago and says he'll "probably never" be done working on it. He calls it his 20-year love affair.

"She's like a mistress," Saffran said. "You have to keep her happy and buy her toys."

As a kid, Saffran's favorite musicians were the Beach Boys, his favorite album was their "Endless Summer" and Saffran's dream car was a 1960 Chevy. Today, both sides of his car are emblazoned with its nickname "Endless Summer."

"No matter what the weather is outside or what time of year it is, I go out in the garage, sit in the car and fire it up, and instantly it's the middle of July, sunny, and I'm happy," he said.

Caroline

Paulie Manno's black Chevy truck goes by "Caroline" because it originally came from North Carolina.

Manno comes from a family who loves to name their cars. Plows and plow trucks in the family driveway include "Fuzzy," "Callie" and "Mater," Manno's blue truck from high school.

"Every vehicle has its own name because they all have their own personalities," said Manno, 24. "It kind of started as a joke when we were younger and 25-30 years later, everything has earned its name based on what it does in the driveway. It becomes a fixture member of the family."

The Grabber

This weekend is Andy Snyder's first time to bring his jungle green 1971 Ford Maverick Grabber from Rochester to the Syracuse Nationals.

He bought the Grabber three years ago in Buffalo for $500.

"It was a car I always wanted and it was a big pile of rubble," said Snyder, 35. "It was a real mess."

Snyder invested more than $20,000 into restoring it.

There's no official name yet. Snyder calls it just "The Grabber," but his son enthusiastically roots for "Melinda" or "Sexy Beast." Around Rochester, Snyder says the car turns heads.

"It gets a lot of attention because it's a grabbing color," he said. "That's why I call it 'The Grabber.'"

If you go on Sunday, July 21:

Where: 581 State Fair Blvd.When: Show hours are 8 a.m. - 3 p.m on July 21.How much: $17 at gate for adults, $8 at gate for children ages 6-12. Free to park.